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- Sharifian Entity
- Iranian Affairs Specialist
Image posted, Reuters
The rule is that people unite in times of trouble, and is there a better reason for unity than the murder of a prominent, though mysterious, figure at the hands of foreign agents?
That may be true in most cases, but not when Iran is the country in question, and certainly not when Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated.
Fakhrizadeh, whom some have called “the father of the Iranian nuclear program,” was assassinated on November 27 near Tehran in a process that Iran unequivocally blamed on Israel.
And Iran’s promises of revenge and punishment upon confirmation of his death, and it seemed that the assassination had brought the various factions in Iran together for a few hours, but that soon dissipated.
“No” to the agreement
The demonstrations broke out on the eve of Fakhrizadeh’s assassination and the day after his death, when protesters demanded the expulsion of the United Nations nuclear inspectors and chanted “Death to those who want a settlement”, in direct criticism of the government of the Iranian president. Hassan Rouhani.
The government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani supports talks with the West, and in 2015 concluded a nuclear deal with world powers (JCBOA), which began to collapse after US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States. of the agreement in 2018.
It wasn’t long before militant figures entered the fray and held the government accountable.
Image posted, Reuters
MP Nizamuddin Mousavi has claimed that the government refuses to describe Fakhrizadeh as a nuclear scientist to ensure that “nuclear negotiations are not adversely affected.”
With Trump losing the US presidential election that took place last November, and President-elect Joe Biden announcing his intention to return to the nuclear deal, analysts believe the chances of Tehran and Washington tackling issues unrelated to the Iranian nuclear program they have improved.
Supporter or opponent of the nuclear deal?
Militants say the inspection regime stipulated in the nuclear deal allowed the IAEA access to Fakhrizadeh, and the government has had to deny that claim almost every day since the assassination.
Several lawmakers claim that the nuclear deal allowed IAEA inspectors to confirm Fakhrizadeh’s presence and leak information about him to Israel.
Some have gone further, claiming that the International Atomic Energy Agency interviewed Fakhri Zadeh and gathered sensitive information about him, facilitating his assassination.
The Defense Ministry quickly dismissed allegations that Fakhri Zadeh, who was Deputy Defense Minister at the time of his death, had spoken to IAEA inspectors.
Image posted, EPA
The Iranian Defense Ministry said it had rejected requests from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency to speak with Fakhrizadeh, who headed the Innovation and Research Authority.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the top Iranian negotiator during the nuclear deal talks, denied the allegations on the social networking site Instagram on November 30, saying the United Nations knew Fakhri Zadeh long before he the nuclear agreement was signed, since it was imposed. The UN Security Council sanctioned it in 2007.
The next day, for the first time, the government released photographs of President Rouhani awarding Fakhri Zada the Second Class Service Medal for his role in winning the nuclear deal.
The state news agency IRNA said he was honored on February 8, 2016, along with other members of the Iranian negotiating team, but in a clandestine atmosphere and away from the media and the public for “security reasons.”
“Monopolizing” Fakhry Zadeh
The sudden release of the photos caused quite a stir in Iran. Fereydoun Abbasi Diwani, a lawmaker and former director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (EAOI), threatened to “speak to the media if the nuclear deal tribe (the deal supporters) tried to monopolize Fakhrizadeh.”
Hours after the photos were released, state broadcaster Radio and Television broadcast during a live television program what it said was an audio recording of Fakhrizadeh, rejecting the possibility of talks with the United States.
The voice on the recording says: “There is no negotiation with the United States as long as the United States is the way it is, and as long as we intend to follow the Supreme Leader.”
Given that Fakhri Zadeh has remained out of the public eye and very little is known about him, it is difficult to verify whether the voice of the recording belongs to him.
Fakhrizadeh is not the first prominent figure in Iran to fight for the various wings of power.
After General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike earlier this year, government officials praised him for his role as an “adviser” who helped negotiate the nuclear deal.
On the other hand, critics of Rouhani saw the move as an attempt by his government to consolidate its position amid mounting pressure due to the weak economy caused in part by the US sanctions.
